Starter.



H. T. THOMAS.

STARTER.

. APPLICATION FILED'JULY 5.1912.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Z SHEETS-SHEET h IHVEHTOR WlTHES SES: I

K54 I I BY ATTORNEY H. TITHOMASQ STARTER.

; APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1912.

amnm-.1am 8, 1915.

2 suns-sun 2.

WiTHESfiES:

AT oR HEY HORACE T. THOMAS, 0F LANSING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOE T0 REO MOTOR CAR COMPANY, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

STARTER.

To all iuhomit-may concern Be it known that I, HORACE T. THOMAS, a' citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing, county of Ingham, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Starters, and declare the nal combustion engines and an object of my improvement is to provide an improved starter in which acetylene gas-1s used. I

' secure this object in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l, is a horizontal section of a portion of the device embodying my invention, the section being upon the line ll Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same partly cut away on the line 22 Fig. 1 Fig. 3, is asection on the line 3--'3 Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is an elevation partly in section of'a portion of an automobile with an internal combustion engine mounted thereon, and the apparatus embodying my invention secured in its proper place. Fig. 5, is a detail plan view of the apparatus adjacent to the dash-board.

Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings, X,

is the frame of an automobile. Z, indicates the internal combustion engine mounted thereon. A, is a tank containing acetylene or other combustible gas under pressure. B, is the-intake passage to the cylinders of the engine Z. G, is the dash-board. D, is a casing mounted on the dash-board and forming a casing in which the mechanism hereinafter described is placed. a, isa conduit pipe leading from the reservoir A to an aperture in the casing D. b, is a pipe forming a conduit leading from a chamber 19 (Fig. 8) in the casing D to the intake pipe B. i

In the chamber b (Fig. 1) is located a valve seat E on whichfits the valve 6. This valveis held normally in place upon its seat by a spring FL G, is a rod adapted to reciprocate in a passage in the casing D and to"'contact the valve 6 to force the same away from its seat.- g, is a disk or pedal securedjto the outer end of'the, rod G and adapted lobe actuated by the foot of the operator. or

otherwise. The rod G is providedwith a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed July 5, 1912. Serial No. 707,754.

notch q (Fig. 2), and there is a slidableplate Q, which, when the rod G is forced inward may slide upward and engage in the notch q to hold the rod in this position and the valve e away from its seat. WVhen the.

plate Q is released from the notch g, the

spring F will force the valve e back to its seat and the rod G outward to its normal position.

Y, (Fig. 4) is an ignition magneto. R,

(Figs. 5 and 1) is'a contact strip secured on.

the dash-board C. 1', is a conducting wire connected to a pole of the magneto Y and to the strip R. S, is a pin extending trans. versely through the rod G and through slots in the casing D, said rod being provided vwith a head 8. When the rod G is pressed inward to displace the valve '6, the head 8 contacts the strip R and grounds the magnetoso that it shall not act to fire the charges in the cylinder. l

The casing D is provided with a cylindrical portion T, which has a bore J in which may reciprocate a piston K. This piston is mounted upon a rod L, which rod bears in the casing and guides said piston. The bore J is provided with screw threads at'its outer end, in which engages a screw threaded cap P through which cap the rod L passes coaxial'therewith. M, is a compression spring interposed between thelpiston K andthc inner surface of the cap P. N, is a c mpression spring interposedbetween an outer surface of the cap P and a pin a passing through the outer end of the rod or stem L. H, is a valve seat surrounding an aperture axially in line with the rod or stem L. h, is a valve upon the .valve seat H. i, is a compression spring vacting to hold the valve upon its seat. The inner end of the st mwir I rod L is normally held a-little ways away from the valve 71. but when the piston K is drawn inward, it carries with it the rod L forcing its end against the valve-i2; and displacing the latter from itsseat.

The chamber 6 communicates by a transverse passage j with theiinner end of the r bore J of the cylindrical-portion T. f

Itwill be'noticed that the pressure of gas its pressure tending to hold said valve to its seat.

It will also be noticed that the valve e.

i from the tank A .;.-passes through the pipe. at and is continually acting upon the valve H,

I) and the portion of the interior of the cas ing 1) beyond said ,valve.

The-operation vof the above described device is 'asgfollows: When the automobile reaches its destination, the operator presses in on the rod G thus, short-circuiting the magneto, the engine turning a few revolutions by reason of its inertia and then stopping, By pressing-in the rod G, the valve E is displaced upon its seat and the suction of the engine then acts'to draw the piston K inward and displace the valve h permitting combustible gas to flow through the pipe (1 into the casing D, through the passage j into the chamber 6 and through the pipe I) to the intake B of the engine where it-forms' an explosive mixture and enters the cylinders. Then the operator desires to start the engine, he completes the battery circuit and the mixture will be ignited in the cylindersand the engine started. As long as the valve 6 is oii its seat, an explosive mixture of the gasfrom "the reservoir A will be drawn into the cylinder'and the engine will 1 continue to operate. When it is in. motion, the rodfi is released permitting the valve e to return to its seat and cutting ofl' connection of the engine through the pipe I). The

engine will then run normally drawing its supply in the usual. wayithrough the intake pipe B.

bustion engine having an intake passage, of

The amount of combustible gas drawn in through the casing D in the operation of the above'described apparatus is regulated by turning the cap. P and, thus moving said cap along the bore J of the cylindrical portion T, thus adjusting the positionv of the L relative to the valve h. i I

What I claim is;

1. The combinationof an internal coma reservoir for gas under pressure, a passage adapted to form a communication between said intake and said reservoir, a valve controlling the passage between said reservoir and said intake, a second valve adapted to control the passage between said intake and adapted to form a communication between said intake and sa d reservoir, a valve con-.

trolling the passage between said reservoir and said intake, a second valve adapted to control'the passage between said intake and said reservoir between the first named valve i and the intake, means for actuating said sec- .engine, for actuating the first named valve.

3,1The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intake passage, a

reservoir for gas under pressure, a passage adapted to form a communicatlon between said intake and said reservoir, a valve controlling the passage between said reservoir and said intake, means adapted to be actu ated by the suction of the engine for ,actuating said valve, and means for adjusting the action of said meansfor actuating the valve.

4. The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intake passage, a

reservoir for gas under pressure, a conduit, adapted to connect said intake pipe and said reservoina non return 'valve h adapted to control the passage through said conduit opening toward saidreservoir, a cylindrical portion T having a piston adapted to re ciprocate therein, said piston being adapted to contact said valve to force the same from 7 its seat and a passage forming a part of-said conduit between the intake passage and said valve opening beneath said piston. Y

5.'The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intake passage, a reservoir for gas under pressure, a 'conduit adapted to connect said intake pipe and said reservoir, a non-return valve h adapted to control the passage through said conduit opening toward said reservoir, a cylindrical part T having a piston adapted to reciprocate therein, saidpiston being adapted to contact said valve to force the same from its seat,a passage forming a part of said-conv duit between the intake passage and said valve opening bene'aths'aid piston, a} spring I governing the motion of said piston, and

means for adjusting the positionvof said pis-' '105 ton and spring relative to, said valve.

6. The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intake passage, a reservoir for gas'under pressure, a conduit adapted to connect said intake pipe and said reservoir, a non-returnvalve 71, adapted to control the passage through said conduit, said valve being so arranged that the pressure of the gas from said reservoir shall act to press said valve toward its seat, and

means adapted to be actuated by the suction of the engine for forcing said valve from its seat to permit the passage of a limited amount of said gas. z a

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

omer T. THOMAS. Witnesses: 4 V

DEAN M. PARsoNs, LAWRENCE R. ELSESSER. 

